Today is Good Friday. The day we remember the death of Jesus. The humiliation, the pain, and the suffering that Christ bore for us.
Good Friday, despite the name, is a somber day. The joy of the resurrection—Easter Sunday—is two days away, and it will be a day of celebration. But today we are quieter.
I think we don’t always think about the significance of Christ’s death. We don’t think about the process that led to the Cross, and all the moving parts behind it. We don’t think about the utter humiliation, injustice, and suffering that Jesus endured so that he and the Father may be glorified. We don’t think about how it should have been us on that cross instead.
I’ve been thinking about the Cross more this week than in previous Holy Weeks. Maybe it’s because I talk about Jesus with my students multiple times a day. Maybe it’s because I’ve been making time to read the Bible every day. Maybe it’s because my lectionary readings have been purposefully directed towards the Passion and Resurrection. Who’s to say?
Regardless, I’ve been meditating on the Cross and seeing it with new eyes.
Jesus Obeys God Despite His Fears
In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed and begged God to “take this cup” from Him. He was troubled and distressed about the task given to him. He didn’t want to die on a cross.
33 He took Peter, James, and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” 35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
Mark 14:33-36
The cross is a terrible way to die. It’s painful and drawn out. Nails aside, you begin to lose the ability to breathe as your body hangs more and more from pain and fatigue. Truly, a criminal’s death in those times.
But Jesus did no wrong. He had no sin—committed no crimes. He’s the Son of God! Jesus did not deserve death, much less death on a cross.
But God willed it. That was the end goal all along. God sent Jesus—God in human flesh—as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. And Christ obeyed so God may be glorified, and that he, Jesus, may be glorified in Him.
If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
John 13:32 (NIV)
Jesus was a man, and he experienced the full range of human emotion alongside us. He feared his own death, and cried out in anguish. But despite this, he obeyed God and desired His will more than his own human desires.
Jesus is the ultimate example for us. He shows us how to live a God-centered life, and how to seek God’s will and glory first over our own wants.
Christ’s Death in Motion
Jesus knew his death was upon him, and continuously set into motion the events leading to the cross. He allowed Satan to enter Judas Iscariot so he can betray him. He went out to the garden so he can be captured by the Roman guard. He confirmed his relationship to the Father and to the Jews to Pilate. While not a crime, it was enough for the Jewish leaders to push for his death.
Jesus did not passively accept his death. He actively put everything in motion so he can die on the cross for us, just as God willed it.
It Should Have Been Us
I’ve been reading a lot about Jesus for my classes, and my love for Jesus has grown exponentially. I’m joyfully overwhelmed by Jesus and the glory and love that he embodies. With this love in mind, I’m filled with endless sorrow over his death.
Here is this perfect, holy Son of God—full of love, grace, mercy, and truth—dying a humiliating death for our sake. Our great King—Lord of Lords, God in human flesh—dying a criminal’s death.
It should have been us.
We are sinful. Unclean. Hopelessly broken, and so far removed from God by nature. We continually sin against God, committing crimes against His name with our very lives.
It should have been us.
We deserve the humiliation, pain, and suffering of the cross. We deserve to have our sin on display for all to see and mock.
But Jesus bore it instead.
And that’s what makes Good Friday “good.” It’s a dark, somber day, intended for the remembrance of Christ’s passion on the cross. We remember his humiliation and suffering, but we also remember his sacrifice on our behalf. His work was finished, and it was good.
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”
1 Peter 2:24 (NIV)
We can rejoice in his sacrifice, and the glory brought to the Son and the Father through the cross. Praise be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for their unending love, grace, and mercy.